Byelorussia: Musical Folklore of the Byelorussian Polessye

Various Artists

Covering southern Belarus and northern Ukraine, the region of Polessye is known as “the land of legends, fairy tales, and songs.” Influenced by a landscape filled with forests and meadows, the traditional music from this area often revolves around seasonal changes, harvests, and related festivities. The vast terrain also inspired the practice of open-air group singing, which can be heard throughout the album. These spirited songs are colored by polyphonic chants around instruments including the fife, violin, and, on one track, the dulcimer—rare in Polessye music.

The liner notes provide full details on instruments and the cultural significance of each track.

This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. More than 125 albums are being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to make the series publicly available again, including more than a dozen never-released albums of musical traditions from around the globe.